Shayla Rivera, an engineer-turned-comedian, was the keynote speaker Monday at the annual MathMovesU Day put on for students by Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems in El Segundo.

In addition to telling a few jokes, Rivera held forth on the importance of math, science and self-confidence.

A native of Puerto Rico, Rivera moved to the United States at 17 knowing little English. She went on to attend Texas A&M University, where she earned a degree in aerospace engineering. Her math-and-science career took her to NASA, where she worked in the space shuttle program, as well as to the sales division in the oil and gas industry before she decided to take a decidedly new path: motivational speaking and stand-up comedy.

"There is one language that binds us all together, no matter where you're from: mathematics," she said. "Math holds it all together."

MathMovesU Day is the annual kickoff for a string of events at Raytheon that coincides with National Engineers Week, which began on Monday and ends Friday. In addition to featuring a public speaker, MathMovesU Day has students performing hands-on math and science activities.